Elon Musk's Mother, Maye, Lives An Extremely Lavish Life

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Her son may be the richest man in the world, but what we know about Elon Musk's mother, Maye Musk, is that she too lives an extremely lavish life. Between jet-setting all over the globe and strutting her stuff on the catwalk for some of fashion's biggest names, the Musk matriarch enjoys a life of glitz and glamour. But before you try to coin the term "nepo mommy," you should note that Mama Musk doesn't rely on Elon or her other two children (both of whom are also millionaires) to fund her lifestyle. Instead, she has worked hard to become successful in her own right as a model, nutritionist/dietitian, speaker, and best-selling author. As a result of her efforts, the gorgeous grandma boasts an estimated net worth of $45 million, but this didn't always come easily.

After divorcing her allegedly abusive husband of nine years, Errol Musk, the silver haired stunner found herself as a single mom of three who was struggling to make ends meet. "I would say, anyone who knows me says they don't envy my life," Musk said in an interview with CBS News. "I've just been through very hard times," she added. "I had to pay the rent. I needed the roof over our head and food for us to eat." At one time she was juggling five jobs to stay afloat. "People asked, why was I motivated? I would say, I wanted to survive," she said. Musk not only survived, she thrived, and her three children seem to have inherited their mom's drive and determination to succeed.

Maye Musk's children may not have grown up with the finer things in life, but their mother was raised differently. Her parents, Joshua and Wyn Haldeman were thrill seekers, who moved from Canada to South Africa when Maye and her twin sister Kaye were just 2 years old. There, her chiropractor father ran a successful practice, which afforded the family, including their five children, plenty of opportunities for adventure. Almost every summer, the Haldeman clan went on a trek to the Kalahari desert in the hopes of finding its rumored Lost City. In an interview with The New York Times, Musk recalled how she and her siblings, including her twin sister, Kaye, slept in the wild on these annual journeys, covering their heads with their sleeping bags for protection. "So the hyenas wouldn't eat our faces," she explained.

Musk's parents' adventures gained them notoriety when the couple flew 22,000 miles around the world in a single engine plane that her father brought over in pieces from Canada. "My mother was the navigator," Musk said in her interview with CBS News. "So, they went all the way up Africa. Now, this is with a compass and a map." Musk's mother's detailed maps and slides from the trip became part of a presentation the couple made to various groups, earning them recognition among their fellow travelers. Despite what appeared to be a very comfortable lifestyle, the family remained grounded according to Musk, who told The New York Times, "My parents were very famous, but they were never snobs." 

Maye Musk made her mark on the modeling world at the age of 15 and was a finalist in the Miss South Africa beauty competition. But it wasn't until a life-changing decision in her 50s that she had truly arrived as a model to be noticed. What was the secret to her later success? She let her hair go gray! "When I was younger, I was mousy brown and started putting in highlights with each child," she told Daily Mail. "By the time I had my third baby, I was pretty much a blonde and I stayed that way until I was in my late 50s." She also cut it into a sleek, sassy style and slimmed down from her days as a plus-sized model. The results spoke for themselves when the middle-aged Musk was snatched up by IMG and landed some big league bookings, including a giant Times Square billboard for Target and a contract with CoverGirl. "Looking back, letting my hair go natural was an amazing decision because I started getting major ad campaigns," the glammother told Daily Mail.  

One of the biggest feathers in Musk's cap came when she landed the Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit cover at the age of 74. Looking radiant in a ruffled one-piece, Musk's inclusion in the iconic publication made a strong statement in the conversation around aging. As she told People, "I do think it's going to make women feel more comfortable in their 70s when they swim, as well as women in their 20s and 30s."

It was Queen Bey meets Queen Maye when Maye Musk appeared in Beyonce's video for the song "Haunted." In keeping with the eerie theme of the video, Musk appears as an almost spectral figure clad in a white cloak. To add to the effect, she carries a hairless cat. As Beyoncé said on her iTunes Radio Channel (via ABC News), "The song is really about temptation in this music industry and being exposed to this crazy madness." The video was shot at Villa de Leon in Pacific Palisades, California, and if it looked familiar, that's because Lady Gaga used it in her "Paparazzi" video, too. 

Although both Beyoncé and Maye appear in the video, the two icons never crossed paths. "I've never met Beyoncé," Musk revealed in a video on the Elle YouTube channel. "She shot the day after me." In fact, what you never knew about Beyoncé is that she tends to keep things on the down low. "You weren't allowed to say anything about it; you weren't allowed to know anything about it," she told W Magazine in an interview. She added that she was not even given the location for a 6 a.m. call time until midnight the night before. Upon arriving at the designated area (an LA parking lot) she was whisked to an entirely different location for wardrobe and shooting. Despite not meeting the musical legend, Musk seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself on the project. "I was really cool," she gushed during an appearance on "The Social." The model-turned-video star shared a dramatic photo from the set on X with the caption, "Amazing team." 

From trekking across the Kalahari desert for three weeks with her parents as a child to traversing the globe for modeling gigs as an adult, Maye Musk has racked up some miles. Musk has said that a thirst for adventure was ingrained in her psyche at an early age. "We were so independent and we were taught to be adventurous ourselves and to try all sorts of new things," she told CNBC Make It. Musk has lived in eight cities and three countries and strutted down catwalks from New York to Italy and Berlin. She has been photographed in exotic locations for almost every major international fashion magazine, including Elle's Slovenia edition and Harper's Bazaar Serbia. "I love exploring new cultures," she said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. 

One culture she has grown extremely fond of is China's. "I go to China nearly every month," the sexy septuagenarian told Women's Wear Daily. Not only does she visit the country to model but also for speaking engagements. "Did you know that in China they don't consider older women to be relevant, so I was flown to Shanghai to talk about being relevant, fashionable, and contributing to society," she said in the Harper's Bazaar interview. Musk has been vocal about her admiration of the Chinese people and said she has always been treated well despite the current political climate. "No, when I go to China, everybody's happy, friendly, and fun," she told WWD. "Even with my friends here, they all want to visit China now."

Who doesn't dream about having the world's top designers decking you out in their latest designs? It's the stuff of fairy tales, but for Maye Musk, it's a reality. At Diane von Furstenberg's DVF Awards, the designer's team not only personally invited Musk to attend, but dressed her in a white lace fitted gown and stilettos for the occasion. Musk, who once called Diane von Furstenberg one of her "personal style icons" in Harper's Bazaar, got the ultimate seal of approval when the designer herself told her, "You look so beautiful," according to The New York Times. 

Musk, who defines herself more by her role as a scientist than a style icon, swears by jeans and sneakers in her daily life. If the occasion calls for more, she relies on her best friend and stylist Julia Perry to make her camera ready. "[S]he styles me in a fabulous way — she mixes old and new designers, and I can never understand the different colors she can put together," the model told W Magazine. It must be easier though, when you have so many designers at your beck and call. During the Italian stop of her book tour to promote "A Woman Makes a Plan," Musk was a study in sophistication in styles by Brunello Cucinelli and Dior, along with edgier looks by Philipp Plein. Designers seem to love dressing Musk, which is evidenced by a comment from Juzui chief designer Taoray Wang. As she told USA Today, "Maye as a person, as a woman, I really adore her (and) respect her." 

Catwalks aren't the only place where Maye Musk struts her stuff. She is a regular on red carpets, too, not to mention A-list parties, Hollywood happenings, and other elite events. The in-demand influencer has a full dance card that reads like a "who's who" of the rich and famous. She has snagged coveted invites to splashy soirees such as Heidi Klum's Halloween party, the Met Gala, and the wedding of Lady Kitty Spencer, whose own lavish lifestyle rivals Musk's. That's in addition to countless movie premieres, fashion shows, art openings, and charity events.

Musk, who has never remarried, typically attends these events with her friends or her children. She was joined by her daughter, film producer Tosca Musk, at the 7th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, and her son Elon Musk escorted her to the Met Gala. When asked why he had his model mom on his arm, Elon told Entertainment Tonight, "My mom wanted to come, so I brought my mom! That is the whole reason." As for whether or not she will ever bring a more romantic plus one to a star-studded occasion, don't hold your breath. "Oh, I'll never get married again," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I love living alone in an empty house," she added. "I get to work out at night. I get to come and go as I please. I get to walk around naked." "Romance is great," she continued. "But I will never take care of a man again. I want my own space."

On Maye Musk's 50th birthday, her three children threw her a birthday party and presented her with an unusual gift. "They gave me a tiny wooden house and wooden car," she said in her interview with The New York Times. "They said, 'Someday we will buy you a house and a car.'" While we aren't clear on whether or not they bought her a house, the car became a reality thanks in no small part to her billionaire CEO son Elon Musk, who gifted his mom a green Tesla when she moved to LA. "When Tosca told Elon I was moving to LA, he said he would give me a Tesla," she told HuffPost. "Well, that's amazing. It means traveling in LA traffic is a pleasure, not torture. It drives like a spaceship — silent, smooth, handles well. I've never liked cars, but I love my Tesla. If Elon wasn't CEO, I would still have bought the Tesla, as I'd sold my co-op and could afford it. It's environmentally friendly and the safest car ever!"  

Even though her son is the company's CEO, Musk had to bide her time like everyone else to get her hands on the coveted Model 3, which had a waitlist of 400,000 people. "Because I waited a few days before I signed up, I am way down on the list," she told MarketWatch. "I won't be able to jump the queue, even though I have connections. The others were lining up outside, and they deserve to be first." 

As a single mom struggling to keep her head above water, Maye Musk learned how to be frugal. "We could not afford to dine out," she told HuffPost. "I had a client with a butcher. Once a month, he would give me a beef roast. I would cut it up in four pieces, freeze three, and cook one so we could have meat once a week." After Musk (and her three kids) started making their fortunes, she could afford to live more extravagantly. That doesn't mean that she became a frivolous spender, but she does enjoy splurging on better quality items that last. "I don't think I'm a splurger, if there's such a word. But I do love a good Céline bag and a Rimowa suitcase," she told Harper's Bazaar. And speaking of accessories, she also has a thing for stylish shades. "I have some really nice ones from Gentle Monster and Dex Gabler that are perfect for arriving to an early evening event when it's still sunny out."

A peek inside her closet would reveal a shoe collection that she swears she "caps at 40," but among those, you'll find Alexander McQueen sneakers and "quite a few Louboutins." Some of her favorite everyday pieces include J Brand crop kick flares and James Perse T-shirts. "My best piece of style advice is to keep your wardrobe small and love everything in it," she said. Clearly, she takes her advice to heart. 

Maye Musk has lived an extraordinary life, so it's no surprise that she decided to put it down on paper. Her book, "A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success," isn't just another vanity project. And while Musk has plenty to toot her own horn about, this book is more self-help than self-congratulatory. She recounts her struggles in an abusive marriage and the challenges of having to start over from scratch. "When I told Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca that I was going to write a book, they all said, 'If you are writing a book, you have to talk about your struggles,'" Musk told Observer. "[B]ecause they all went through it with me." Sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly wasn't easy for Musk. "It was really uncomfortable to discuss at first," she recalled to Harper's Bazaar. "People think I'm positive and fun. But I had to talk about what I endured."

Strength through struggle might be an underlying theme in Musk's book, but it isn't the only theme. Like a how-to guide for life, it is full of helpful tips and advice she has imparted over the years to her social media followers and younger models in the industry, some of whom have told her that her words have encouraged them when they wanted to give up. "I had no idea that I had inspired them that much," she told The Hollywood Reporter. Based on the sales of the book, it would seem that Musk has inspired many.